Chennai (Tamil Nadu), India, March 28 (ANI): Led by captain Rajat Patidar’s outstanding fifty and powerful performances from Phil Salt and Tim David, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) posted a total of 196/7 off their 20 overs against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Chepauk Stadium on Friday.

Almost all of RCB’s batsmen managed to get off to good starts, yet apart from Patidar, nobody was able to turn those beginnings into substantial scores. Once again, Noor Ahmed stood out as the standout bowler for CSK, claiming three wickets including that of Virat Kohli.

Following CSK’s victory in the coin toss and their decision to field first, Phil Salt provided RCB with an impressive beginning by scoring boundaries off Ravichandran Ashwin for four runs twice and hitting a six in the second over. Meanwhile, at the opposite end, Virat Kohli attempted to find his rhythm against both fast bowlers and spinners but found it difficult to make solid contact.

In the last delivery of the fifth over, CSK secured a significant wicket when MS Dhoni executed a rapid stumping off a Noor Ahmed throw, dismissing Salt after he had scored 32 runs from 16 balls, including five boundaries and a six. At this point, RCB’s score stood at 45/1 in the first five overs.

A fantastic knock from Devdutt Padikkal, scoring 6 runs off just five balls, assisted Royal Challengers Bangalore in reaching their fifty-mark inside 5.5 overs. After six overs, RCB stood at 56/1, with Padikkal (on 9 not out) and Kohli (on 11 not out) remaining undefeated.

During the following over bowled by Ravindra Jadeja, Padikkal demonstrated his aggressive approach against spin bowling, scoring two boundaries and a six.

Nevertheless, when Ruturaj Gaikwad took a catch off Ravichandran Ashwin’s delivery, Srikar Bharat’s short stay at the crease came to an end after he scored 27 runs from just 14 deliveries, including two boundaries and two sixes. At this juncture, Royal Challengers Bangalore had tallied up to 76 for the loss of 2 wickets in 7.5 overs.

By the conclusion of the tenth over, RCB had reached 93/2, as captain Rajat Patidar (11*) joined forces with a struggling Virat (16*).

At the beginning of the 11th over, one of the standout moments occurred when Virat, after getting struck on the helmet by a bouncer from Matheesha Pathirana, retaliated by hitting a six and a boundary. This improved his batting pace significantly. With an additional four runs contributed by Patidar, the total score reached 16 off that over, and they achieved their hundred mark in just 10.3 overs.

Virat was dismissed by Noor for 31 off 30 deliveries (with two boundaries and one six) when he was caught by Rachin Ravindra while trying to hit big shots (RCB: 117/3 in 12.2 overs). Meanwhile, Patidar plundered 15 runs from Jadeja’s over, including two fours and a six.

Following 15 overs, RCB stood at 138/3, where Liam Livingstone (4*) joined forces with Patidar (36*).

Following his boundary hit against Noor, Livingstone faced dismissal after scoring 10 runs from nine deliveries, leaving RCB at 145/4 in 15.3 overs. The milestone of 150 runs for RCB was reached when Jitesh Sharma struck a six on the last delivery of the over.

Patidar and Jitesh kept finding boundaries off Pathirana and Khaleel Ahmed. In just 30 deliveries, Patidar scored his eighth half-century, hitting four fours and three maximums.

The collaboration between the pair dissolved when Jitesh was dismissed by Jadeja for 12 runs from six deliveries due to a Khaleel throw. At this point, RCB stood at 172/5 after 17.4 overs. When captain Patidar’s innings of 51 runs in 32 balls ended against Pathirana, RCB found itself under pressure. By the time they reached 176/6 in 18.1 overs, Pathirana had also removed Krunal Pandya with just one run scored off three ineffective shots.

During the 19th over, Tim David hit three consecutive sixes off of Sam Curran’s bowling. The Royal Challengers Bangalore concluded their innings at a score of 196 for 7 wickets, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar ending not out at 0*, and Tim David remaining not out after scoring 22 runs from just eight deliveries, including one boundary and three massive hits for six.

In the match, Noor (3/36) stood out as the most effective bowler for CSK. Additionally, Pathirana claimed two wickets, while Ashwin and Khaleel took one apiece respectively. (ANI)